The Mazda pickup truck driven by Don French rests against the side of a house in Bingham Friday after it went off the road. Photo courtesy of Somerset County Sheriff’s Office

BINGHAM — A local man was found dead in his pickup truck Friday after the vehicle left the road and ended up against the side of a residence at 261 Main St. Don French, 57, of Bingham, could not be resuscitated at the scene by first responders.

French was a firefighter with the Bingham Fire Department.

The 1994 Mazda pickup truck went off the road and hit a fire hydrant, skidding across a driveway before coming to rest against the side of the house.

A mother and child inside the house were not injured. The pickup truck was not moving fast when it came to a stop against the side of the building, said Michael Mitchell, chief of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

The Upper Kennebec Valley Ambulance Service was first to respond to the scene a little after 12:30 p.m., but they were unable to revive French, Mitchell said.

Police are investigating whether the death was caused by the accident or a medical event. French was headed northbound on Route 201 when his vehicle went off the road for unknown reasons, Mitchell said.

“The damage to the vehicle and the impact of the injuries sustained by the deceased don’t typically match what we would consider a fatal motor vehicle accident,” Mitchell said.

“They initiated emergency life-saving procedures, CPR and so forth, and couldn’t revive him,” Mitchell said. “So did he have a medical event, heart attack, something like that? Nobody knows yet. The deceased was taken to the medical examiner’s office in Augusta, where further examination hopefully will determine if it was a medical event that precipitated it.”

In a post from the Bingham Fire Department, French is remembered as a dedicated member of the department. “Don was a very dedicated firefighter and made every call that he was capable of making. He was our Captain of the Hose and made sure we always had a good water supply, and hose that could carry it. Don was a huge part of our department. He will be greatly missed, BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN,” the post read.

Mitchell said police will treat the crash as a fatal motor vehicle accident until they have more information.

The primary investigator is Deputy Sheriff Stacey Slate of Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. A forensic mapping reconstruction team was also present at the scene.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the identity of the man who died.